Fresh after his success at World Athletics Championships in Budapest last month, India's champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be in action at the Diamond League final in Eugene on Saturday.
Chopra added more gold to his already impressive collection of medals when he finished first at the 2023 World Athletics Championships with a best throw of 88.17m. With the gold in Budapest, Chopra became the first Indian athlete to win a World Championships gold and also the first athlete to medal twice at the prestigious event. Chopra won silver at the 2022 World Athletic Championships.
Now the 25-year-old is out to defend his Diamond League title. Last year, Chopra became the first Indian to win the Diamond League trophy when he won the 2022 Diamond League final in Zurich with a best throw of 88.44m. Interestingly, Chopra is back at the place where he clinched his first World Championships medal. It was inside the Hayward Field in Oregon, where Chopra launched the javelin at a distance of 88.13m to win his first World Championships silver medal.
Neeraj Chopra's 2023 season so far
Chopra paved his way to the 2023 Diamond League final after finishing first at the Doha Diamond League meet and Lausanne Diamond League meet, and then coming second at the Zürich Diamond League meet.
Chopra's best attempt in Doha measured 88.67m. His best throw in Lausanne was 87.66 and his second-place Zürich came after he launched the javelin at a distance of 85.71m.
Chopra's season best this year has been 88.77m which he achieved during the qualifying round of the World Championships.
Will Chopra manage to touch/cross the elusive 90m mark in Eugene?
While Chopra remains a firm favourite to win the 2023 Diamond League trophy too, one landmark that will he try to achieve inside the the Hayward Field arena is to touch or cross the elusive 90m mark.
Despite winning the Olympic gold, the Diamond League trophy and World Championships gold in the last three years, touching or crossing the 90m mark has remained beyond him. Chopra's personal best measures 89.94m which he achieved in Stockholm last year.
Who are Chopra's competitors in the Diamond League final?
Although a front-runner to win back-to-back Diamond League trophies, Chopra will face stiff competition from Finland's Oliver Helander, Moldova's Andrian Mardare, Grenada's Anderson Peters, USA's Curtis Thompson and Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch.
When and where to watch Diamond League final?
The Diamond League final will be broadcast live and exclusive on the Sports 18 network. Online, it will be streamed via the JioCinema app. The javelin event is scheduled around 12.50 AM IST.
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